As the 2016 city elections approach, Anaheim remains a fascinating case study of strange political bedfellows that somehow create unusual informal alliances.
TheLiberalOC has spoken with three sources on the condition of anonymity regarding the campaign of Mark Lopez, a staffer for County Supervisor Shawn Nelson, who is running as a Republican in District 5 after having been a longtime Decline to State voter and having pulled ballots for the 2008 and 2012 Democratic presidential race. Sources say Lopez, who was endorsed by the OC GOP, is running in order to set himself up to replace his boss on the County Board of Supervisors in 2018. Whether that’s true or not, and Lopez will certainly deny it, its time to drop the other shoe.
Lopez, who is backed by Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait and is part of the Tait slate that includes Democrats, is expected to benefit from IEs paid for by Howard Ahmanson who is closely aligned with Tait. Ahmanson, a multi-millionaire, is a financier of many Christian conservative cultural, religious, and political causes. We’re told Flash Report publisher Jon Fleischman will be working on the IEs on behalf of Ahmanson; I asked Fleischman several weeks ago if he was working directly or indirectly on this Fall’s election for Tait and he said no, but handling the IEs to benefit the Tait slate must have slipped his mind. My sources tell me Fleischman confirmed his involvement with key OC GOP influencers so it’s not exactly a secret.
So here’s where it’s tricky.
Fleischman, who is also the California politics editor for Breitbart.com which gives voice to the racist Alt-Right movement on behalf of Donald Trump, is in a position through his work for Ahmanson to benefit Tait-slate members who are liberal Democrats — Arturo Ferraras in District 4 and Dr. Jose Moreno in District 3. For a guy who put on an ice cream social for Young Republicans at his community college while Young Democrats were holding a hunger strike, how is Fleischman going to square backing two progressive Democrats over Republicans for City Council? And worse, why would progressive Democrats accept the help of someone 180 degrees away from their core political beliefs?
It’s all about the money, money, money.
Want a weirder connection? On the issues of Angels negotiations Fleischman is on the same side as OJ blogger Greg Diamond, as evidenced by this Facebook post from last month:
Whether he knows it or not, by reminding friends in San Diego against financing of a new stadium and convention center expansion in San Diego (paid primarily through new hotel occupancy taxes) via Measures C & D might inadvertently help Anaheim score the coveted and revenue-rich Comic-Con Expo.
The Comic-Con organizers have come out against Measure D which might be the easiest to pass and there are warnings that if Measure D passes, Comic-Con isn’t long for San Diego. And who is pushing for the passage of Measure D? Diamond’s and CATER’s legal ally Cory Briggs, who did his level best to try and stop the expansion of the Anaheim Convention Center which is ideally poised to take on Comic-Con because of its expansion.
If Anaheim gets Comic-Con, the economic impact will be immediate and significant. From CNBC on the 2016 show:
The San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC), otherwise known as Comic-Con, is widely considered to be the premier event of its kind, where tickets often sell out in minutes. According to Miro Copic, a marketing professor at San Diego State University who recently crunched the numbers, this year’s SDCC is expected to have a whopping $150 million in economic impact on the region, representing an injection of at least $80 million in direct spending.
“Comic Con is very important to San Diego,” Copic told CNBC in an email, adding that it was also the largest convention of the year for the city. On average, its 130,000 attendees will spend over $600 per person, Copic’s data shows.
San Diego plays host to 34 million visitors annually, according figures from to the city’s tourism bureau, pulling in more than $700 million in state and local tax revenue. Last year, San Diego’s Convention Center saw about 553,000 individuals total—meaning that SDCC makes up more than a quarter of the year’s traffic by itself.
Fleischman to Ahmanson to Tait to Ferraras to Lopez to Moreno to Diamond to Briggs….like I said, strange political bedfellows.
Vote No on Kring, Vote No on Brandman and on Murray. In District 4 consider voting yes on Aurturo Ferrarra who cares about the people of Anaheim over money. He is endorsed by Mayor Tait and together with Councilman Vanderbilt the three will have the majority, not those mentioned above. Maybe then we can bring back the kindness to those living in Anaheim rather than showing kindness only to the businesses in Anaheim. You blight your city and drain its people of their needed resources and you will have a hostile living environment. We are going in that direction if we continue with Kring, Brandman and Murray we will only have ourselves to blame as they have shown what and who is important to them, and it is NOT us. Revive Andy Anaheim. Fight On Mayor Tait.
Marie — Mayor Tait is a pendejo and under his rule Anaheim is anything but a city of kindness. You have to love a guy who shows up at a Trump for President rally out of concern for possible violence but is no where to be found when the KKK marches in his city and violence is assured. Its going to take 4 votes, not 3 for a council majority. Mayor Tait is not liberal or progressive.
Marie (and Shawn and Martin) try not using the same IP address to spam the same message.
Marie, Shawn and Martin should call Henry “Paul Lucas” Lipton to learn how to “hijack” neighbors WiFi!!
Then again, these are the days of change, Oni and Jeff, sporting a Hillary sign in their EXCLUSIVE Brea Neighborhood (Nicer than Tait’s folks), and UhOh, A Lou Correa Sign on Joe Dunn’s lawn! My oh my.
I saw Paul tonight at DPOC and tried to ask him to stop commenting in lies on other blogs that I supported Curt Pringle’s poll guards incident from 1994 which happened while I was still living in Boston and had no idea who Curt Pringle was. He caused a scene yelling “stop harassing me,” “Don’t talk to me.” Paul can keep lying. I’ll tell the truth. He’s a delusional drug-addled loser who knows what the inside of a jail cell looks like. At least he didn’t bring his dog to the meeting this time.
Greg Diamond, during comments, asked for volunteers to blog for him. If he asked for money for a pedicure, I would have paid for it. No one wants to see his toes.
“Greg Diamond, during comments, asked for volunteers to blog for him.”
I would blog for Diamond, except I have been banned at OJB for no apparent reason.
” If he asked for money for a pedicure, I would have paid for it. No one wants to see his toes.”
That is funny.
Maybe Diamond wants to share his toe fungus with everyone
When Greg asked for volunteers to blog, I almost stood up, but then thought better.
When Greg speaks out, you just NEVER know what you are going to get, although his words are rarely as bitter as his blog posts. What may do this guy in at the end of the game is his belittling attitude, towards everyone who disagrees with him, honestly or not.
Well, Greg saw me there and I’m sure was waiting for me to make a similar announcement; we get inquiries from folks who want to blog but once I mention you have to write under your own name, people get cold feet.
Loved Jeff Letourneau’s description of Tait as a “pro-social justice mayor.” Tell that to Labor Jeff.
“What may do this guy (Greg Diamond) in at the end of the game is his belittling attitude, towards everyone who disagrees with him, honestly or not.
Exactly!! There is no one smarter than Greg Diamond – it comes through like a bullhorn announcement in his posts & comments.
You have to love it Junior; Paul threatens you on Diamond’s blog and you get banned. Not for anything, but if it came down to a fig between you and Paul, my money’s on you.
Exactly.
Greg, Diamond is a “Paper Tiger”. As soon as my employers attorney called him out, he clammed up.
Funny, no mention of “Fake Vasquez” or any of that hogwash, when a threatened with a REAL LAWSUIT! I guess I could go after the 1997 Taurus.
As for Henry “Paul Lucas” Lipton, I don’t now anything about him, except what I have read on the blogs……..Meth, Guns, Jail and backstabbing politics……sounds like he’s in good company.
This is a takedown notice for this defamatory Fake Vasquez post:
I have not been “called out” by any attorney purporting to represent a “David Vasquez,” or anyone employing a “David Vasquez,” or any attorney representing anyone in a case of defamation or any other tort. No one has served me or threatened to serve me with any such lawsuit. It’s all lies.
You now have an extensive track record of allowing this so-called “David Vasquez” to use your website for the dissemination of Rovian lies. Cease and desist from allowing such defamation immediately.
Greg — as you delight in telling people what to do, I am not taking down this “fake” post. You get called out regularly by people who don’t like you and who don’t want the hassle of dealing with you in public (something I’m happy to take a spear for since I don’t hide my contempt for you). For all I know, one of our other anon commenters is indeed Mr. Vasquez’s lawyer and you have been quiet for a time. The only inaccuracy I believe in there lies in the car you drive — an older model Prius, right?
In terms of “Rovian Lies,” I will remind you you’re complaining about mudslinging with dirty hands. You continue to allow Mr. Zenger to maintain (one more than one occasion) that I assault a fictional wheelchair bound individual at my bootcamp and allow Paul Lucas to support some fantasy that I embrace Curt Pringle’s posting of guards at the polls in 1994 a full three years before I moved to California and ever heard of Curt Pringle (Paul’s fantasy must be fueled by his medical marijuana and possible delusions…or maybe he had lots of free time to think up stuff while he was behind bars in jail). But I haven’t asked for a cease and desist of this because you’re actually protected (and so am I) by a provision of the Telecom Act of 1996 that shields online operators (like our blogs and other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) from liability associated with the speech and actions of third parties who use the site. Do some homework on it.
Rest assured I continue to delete comments about your wife and Jeff Letourneau’s husband that are patently offensive; those almost never see the light of day.
But do me a favor please. For someone who throws such venom at those you disagree with, you are very thin-skinned. Time for you to put on your big boy pants and stop being such a baby. And if you think I’m going to say “how high” when you say “jump,” well, stick it.